It finally feels like spring!

Apparently we are going to have winter for another three weeks, however I have been taking advantage of the 60-degree weather and taking Spiker out to the 1/2 mile track in the back of the barn he is stabled at. I have been trying to focus less on the technical side of training and more on his fitness and confidence with his surroundings. When we resume jumping (notice I am saying “when” and not “if”!) I want him to feel comfortable, both physically and mentally.

Ideally, when bringing a young or inexperienced horse outside of confined spaces (such as an indoor arena) for the first few times, having another more confident horse to “lead the way” will make your horse feel more secure. In my situation, I often find myself riding alone so I have to “make do” with any pitfalls that may come with it.

I make sure that he’s properly bitted and booted (right now my bit of choice is the Mikmar short shank with double reins, it gives me a bit of leverage when he spooks but I can soften my hands and he sinks right down into the contact) to keep us both safe. The first handful of times we ventured out back, he was looking around, prancing, and spent most of the time trying to convince me he NEEDED to go home. Immediately. Depending on the footing, I would allow him to trot for 10-20 strides, then bring him back to walk, and then repeat. (While you want to avoid letting your horse jig, which is a nervous/anticipatory habit, trying to hold onto 1,200 lbs of horse without letting him bolt home is no fun either!)

As time went on, we ventured out after a big snowfall. It was wonderful.

Beautiful snow!

While he is still spooky out by the back barn (leaving his barn, and heading down the laneway to the track is another barn which houses a variety of pony hunters), once we get down onto the track he is considerably settled. I have been able to relax my contact on the reins and let him decide on his comfort level. We have been able to hack around the track in both directions while on a long rein, without any major issues. I want him to feel confident in his surroundings, and allowing him the freedom of his head and neck to decide when he can relax versus when he needs to be on alert seems to make him feel more settled.

The other day was a big test for us. We have been progressing up to trotting around the track, in both directions, with walk breaks in between. He has been very well behaved, despite the occasional minor “scoot” (which is a miniature version of a bolt, and only lasts about 2-3 strides) here and there but very manageable. We were having walk break when he suddenly went “on alert” and attempted to look behind and stare at something. I had just picked up the reins when he both whirled around and started running sideways. He pulled himself together fairly quickly, and although I could feel his heart absolutely pounding, planted himself firmly in the direction of our new visitor. Turns out it was a friend on her small mare, trotting towards us. He had clearly heard her, but couldn’t see her as she was coming up on his bad side.

While we will have to work on this, his reactions have been slowly and surely improving. This incident reminded me an attempted hack pre-surgery, with another horse attempting to accompany us, when three riders emerged from the woods and scared him so badly he practically bolted sideways about 1/4 of the way home before I could get a handle on him. The fact he is still reacting however in a more controlled manner is very encouraging.

So enjoy the spring weather while you still can, before Mother Nature turns down the temperature to get as much out of winter as possible!

I stumbled upon the EquidBlog today and was fascinated by many of the posts. It is published by the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is coordinated by Drs. Scott Weese and Maureen Anderson, who are large animal internal medicine specialists, with a focus on infectious diseases and infection control.

They have invaluable, current information on topics such as respiratory disease, parasites, neurological issues, antibiotics and much more.

Check it out at the EquidBlog.com!

The EquidBlog.com

**Please note this video contains some mildly offensive language!

When they lay me down to rest put my spurs and rope upon my chest. Get my friends to carry me and then go turn my horses free.

-Clyde Kennedy, American Horse Show Association’s Horseman of the Year 1963

Many saddle fitting books and videos focus on the fit of the saddle to the horse. I particularly like this video because it focuses on the horse; his individual shape and musculature. Dr. Joanna Robson recommends determining the following aspects BEFORE considering a particular saddle:

• The horse’s range of motion through the shoulder
• The location of cranial nerve 11 (causes pain and decrease peformance when being worked in an improperly fitting saddle)
• The position on the horse’s ribcage (no farther back than the 18th rib)
• Location of the para-spinal ligaments (how wide the channel of the saddle needs to be

Feeling confused? Dr. Robson explains and demonstrates each of these points in her video. If you’ve never considered your saddle’s fit before, or even if you have a collection of saddles sitting in your barn at home, this video has some excellent points about horse physiology and saddle fit that show how saddle fit can really help your horse or decrease his performance.

Breakthrough!

Its been just over four months since Spiker had his eye removed. The swelling finally went completely down after about four to five weeks. Even though he has the silicone ball prosthetic, the eye has sunken somewhat into his skull (not more than a 1/4″ – 1/2″ inch) which took some time getting used to.

Spiker's slightly sunken post-surgical eye

It has been really surprising from everyone at the barn regarding the huge improvement in his behavior. He is a model citizen, walking out to the paddocks in the morning (most times, he’s a Thoroughbred so he definitely gets those “funny” days they tend to have!) quietly, pushing all the other horses aside in the afternoon to come in… his changed outlook has certainly not affected his personality!

The first thing I noticed when getting him back to work in January (except for one short ride, he was off for about 2 months) was that he hadn’t quite figured out lunging to the right. I am a firm believer in ground work, and Spiker is a pro at lunging and long-lining. It was a bit of a surprise to find he would not travel to the right, the side without the eye. No amount of coaxing or encouragement would convince him to take any more than 2-3 steps before he would stop dead and turn in my direction, until he could see me again.

Puzzled, I was not sure what to do. I didn’t like the idea of eliminating ground work, but since everything was still relatively new I decided to take him back to basics. Instead of lunging, we would walk around the arena for 20 minutes, focusing on walk/halt/back up. I made sure to ask him to do these things around obstacles, and with me on either side of him (on his good and impaired side). I communicated with him by scratching him on the neck (to indicate where I was) and talking to him when I was on his bad side.

We practiced this both inside and outside, while grazing and while in crossties. I used my voice to indicate things instead of just the physical cues (i.e., saying “move over” instead of simply applying pressure to his side when leading him).

Once he was comfortable with that, I put him into the long-lines and worked on long-lining him at the walk and a little trot around the arena. Despite being a little look-y and jumping when pigeons flew from the ground up to the rafters, he did not have any problems traveling in either direction on the long-lines.

When I did get back in the saddle, overall he was excellent. He was fairly unsettled by the rattling in the indoor arena, or if a horse came trotting up behind him (on either side) he would spook and do a little bolt forward. He was trying so hard to concentrate on what was happening in front of him, it felt like he was startled by activity going on behind him. I am hoping this resolves with time.

The biggest step forward happened this week, when I had the vet out to assess some other lameness issues he’s been having (unrelated to his eye). The vet asked me to lunge him, and I warned them he would only travel to the left. He had also been inside for most of the week, with only arena turnout until the paddocks are de-iced. I was a little uncomfortable, worried he was going to explode on the lunge. Not only did he trot and canter to the left without any major meltdowns, but (upon the vet’s encouragement) I tried him to the right….

SUCCESS!

He walked and trotted to the right. I didn’t try the canter, but he was excellent. Although the desensitizing may have helped, I think also the extra few months for him to figure out where everything was (even though he can’t see it) has really helped. I was so happy with his progress, as I thought it may take up to a year to see a big improvement however was pleasantly surprised.

I am considering taking his groundwork to the next level and trying something new (to both of us!) which is clicker training. I am hoping that this may bridge the gap by giving him something else to focus on, instead of just what is happening around him.

We will be trying the clicker training starting this week on the ground, and eventually transition to using it while under saddle. I will be sure to update Spiker’s blog as more information is available!

For a change of pace, here is a short rap video that involves dressage. Obviously done as a parody, it’s a cute poke of fun at the discipline by a comedian.

A veterinary clinic located north of Toronto, Canada will be hosting an educational conference in order to raise money for local equine charities.

“We realized that our annual client education day was a great opportunity to combine two of our fundamental interests: helping clients learn more about horses and horse care, and improving equine welfare through charitable work” said Dr. Pownall of McKee Pownall Equine Services, headquartered in Campbellville, Ontario.

The event promises a day packed with information, with topics such as (but not limited to!):

• Deworming Strategies
• Upper Respiratory Tract Conditions
• Equine insurance
• Scintigraphy and MRI
• Diseases and Injuries of the Eye
• Shoeing the Lame Horse
• Breeding 101
• Dentistry
• Equine Lameness: A Case-based Approach
• Equine Laminitis

There will also be a silent auction with great items that were donated, proceeds going to the charities.

To learn more about the event, visit the event on Facebook, or CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Click here to register for the event!

This is a short but great video about eventing, and the grit that is required to have a successful partnership!

“Some riders change their horse, they change their saddle, they change their teacher; they never change themselves.”

-author unknown